What do World Cup visitors think of Kansas City BBQ? See their ratings

As tourists multiply on Kansas City’s streets — backed up with traffic headed to the city’s first World Cup game — local spots are serving international taste buds.

Gerardo Gonzalez, a fan visiting Kansas City from Argentina, hasn’t tried Kansas City barbecue yet, but he’s looking forward to it, he said. The city has high competition since Argentine barbecue dishes have set the bar high.

“In Argentina, it’s known for maybe the most famous barbecue in the world,” said Gonzalez.

Asado is the method of barbecuing meat in South American countries like Argentina. Beef, pork, lamb, mutton and other meats are cooked using an open fire or grill. Asado refers to the method, as well as the event where the food is cooked.

“I’m curious about how the barbecue is done here. So maybe I’ll try it tomorrow,” said Gonzalez.

In Kansas City, the barbecue also includes a variety of meats. It’s smoked or grilled with a dry rub, then topped with a tomato-based sauce, according to barbecue masterclass instructor Aaron Franklin.

Ramona Marullo, from Puerto Rico, and Atilio Marullo, her husband from Argentina, tried Jack Stack barbecue. They rate the barbecue an 8 out of 10.

“We had turkey, the brisket, and pork, pulled pork, and then we had the french fries and some broccoli,” said Ramone Marullo. “I was hoping they had greens, but they didn’t have that.”

Luis Paredes and his friends, all from Honduras, also visited Jack Stack.

Christian Membrino, his friend, had the brisket and would rate the restaurant a 10 out of 10.

Paredes had an unexpected treat with KC’s barbecue. He was shocked by the texture of the food and would rate it a solid 8 out of ten, he said.

“Very good. Surprised by how not greasy it was going to be, but it was pretty good.”

Arlex Sagastume, another friend, tried the baby back ribs and brisket. The dishes were a reminder of home; Honduras has a similar dish to barbecue, just with a different texture, said Sagastume.

Juvete Tejay is Cameroonian, born in France, and also tried Jack Stack BBQ. He had the mixed platter to try a little bit of everything. He rates the restaurant an 8, too, and thinks the biggest improvements could be made in the sauce.

“Everything, the cooking, all that was good,” said Tejay

He and his friends will be in town for a month, so there’s plenty of chances to try more. He’s looking forward to trying Gates Bar-B-Q.

“Every time I’ll get it, you know, have a taste of it all,” he said.

Fernando Olivares has learned to love Kansas City barbecue since he came from El Salvador to the Kansas City area in 2022 to study at University of Missouri-Kansas City, school of business.. He recommends everyone coming for the World Cup in Kansas City to try Q39.

“I’ve had a Jack Stack as well, but there’s something about a Jack Stack that is not fully convincing in my opinion,” said Olivares.

He and his friend Landry Satterfield recommended the restaurant to people from Argentina while on a night out on the Plaza, he said.

Art Prusmack was visiting Kansas City from Houston; he and his family are touring all of the Fan Festivals in the country. Prusmack was neutral about Kansas City barbecue, he said.

“Just like anywhere else you go, anywhere in the world, some is good, some is bad,” he said.

Imene Tabot was born in Algiers, Algeria, but now lives in St. Louis, pursuing cancer research at WashU. When she visited Kansas City in the past, she tried Joe’s Bar-B-Que. Although she’s not a big fan of barbecue, she would rate the restaurant a 6.

“We stopped here. She was like, ‘You’ve got to stop at Kansas City and get barbecue at Kansas City,’” she recalls her friend telling her. “So it was last year, but not this time.”

Gabriel Rivera was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but has been in KC for five years. He recommends that tourists visit local non-barbecuespots from immigrant communities like Café Corazón or Fern Bar.

“They add a lot of spice into the Kansas City scene, so I would definitely recommend one of those spots.”